Japanese actor and singer Mizuki Itagaki, who recently passed away, is being re-examined as a former member of the group accused of plagiarizing aespa’s song ‘Whiplash’.
According to Itagaki’s family, he had been suffering from a mental illness since last year and went missing at the end of January this year. The police reportedly discovered his body recently in Tokyo. He was 24 years old.
The family stated, “We sincerely thank the fans who warmly supported Mizuki during his lifetime, as well as everyone who helped him. Mizuki passed away in an unfortunate accident. He had always wanted to bring joy to others with a smiling face through his entertainment activities. Just as he was starting to move forward positively towards resuming his career, his life came to an end. We believe he himself would have felt deep regret. We would be grateful if you could warmly remember his activities up until now. Thank you for all your support and love.”
Born in 2000, Itagaki Mizuki debuted in 2014 as a member of the group M!LK. The group recently came under suspicion of plagiarizing aespa’s ‘Whiplash’ with their March release ‘Ii jan / EJan'. M!LK has not released any statement regarding the allegations.
After leaving the group in 2020, Itagaki pursued an acting career, appearing in dramas such as ‘Married Marriage Honey’, ‘The Stars and Us Who Wanted to Shine’, ‘Unlucky Girl!’, ‘Super Rich’, ‘Hiru’, ‘Drop’, ‘Honest Real Estate’, ‘Black Girls Talk’, as well as films like ‘Solomon’s Perjury’, ‘Because You Make My Heart Beat’, and ‘The Blue Sky You Dropped’.
SEE ALSO: aespa confirmed for ‘Lollapalooza Chicago 2026’ alongside global artists
SHARE
